Blog

• Carlos Molina
• , November 17, 2025

A New Standard: Understanding Vitalacy’s Hand Hygiene Grade

At Vitalacy, one of our missions is to help healthcare organizations achieve the highest standards in patient safety through accurate, actionable hand...

• Vitalacy Team
• , November 3, 2025

When Observation Changes Behavior: Understanding the Hawthorne Effect in Hand...

The Challenge of Measuring True Compliance For more than a decade, infection prevention programs have relied on direct observation as the gold...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 8, 2025

Patient Hygiene: Why Adoption Isn’t Enough

https://youtu.be/R4-RO0nGJ_4 Insights from Anne Marie Pettis, MS, BSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC.Rethinking Patient Hygiene in Infection PreventionHand hygiene often gets the spotlight, but patient...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 24, 2025

Gloves vs. Hand Hygiene: Myths, Facts & Safety Tips

In healthcare, gloves are a critical tool for infection prevention. However, misconceptions about their use can lead to unintended risks. Some healthcare...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 13, 2025

The Power of Hand Hygiene: How Leapfrog and Vitalacy Are...

Patient safety is at the heart of healthcare, and ensuring that hospitals uphold the highest standards of care is more important than...

• Janel Ranaan
• , November 25, 2024

C. Difficile Awareness and Soap’s Role

Understanding C. Difficile and Soap's Role  November is C. difficile Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the progress made in combating...

• Vitalacy Team
• , November 4, 2024

Achieving Reliable Hand Hygiene Compliance

The Role of Accurate Hand Hygiene MonitoringHand hygiene is universally recognized as the most effective preventive measure against HAIs, as underscored by...

• Vitalacy Team
• , July 11, 2024

Vitalacy Named 2024 Best Tech for Good Finalist by Tech...

Tech in Motion is proud to announce that Vitalacy, Inc., a company committed to reducing patient harm in healthcare through better hand...

• Carlos Molina
• , October 17, 2023

Building a Culture of Safety in Healthcare with Technology

Discover the power of non-punitive approaches and technology in building a culture of safety in healthcare. Insights from Carlos Molina, Director of...

• Bahram Nour-Omid
• , July 31, 2023

ArtificiaI Intelligence and Patient Safety

During the 1980s, I was working at Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory (LPARL) with a focus on high performance computing. In 1986,...

• Vitalacy Team
• , May 30, 2023

Leapfrog Finds Increase in HAIs, Decline in Patient Experience

The new Hospital Safety Grade report reveals the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient safety and experience. Learn how hospitals can...

• Janel Ranaan
• , December 15, 2022

Why Infection Preventionists Need Better Tools, Data, and Support

Tools and Data for Infection Preventionists A recently published paper (Nori et al., 2022) shines a light on the challenges endured by...

• Haley Dukelow
• , November 28, 2022

Experts Advise Handwashing to Curb RSV, Flu, and COVID ‘Tripledemic’

Handwashing Advice to Prevent the Tripledemic A Texas mom exemplifies the helplessness felt by many parents as the nation’s pediatric wards fill...

• Vitalacy Team
• , October 11, 2022

Does Poor Hand Hygiene Worsen Health Disparities in Hospitals?

Does Poor Hand Hygiene Worsen Health Disparities in Hospitals? A review of medical research shows that racial and ethnic minorities, as well...

• Judith Fine
• , September 29, 2022

4 Hand Hygiene Compliance Secrets from an Infection Preventionist

Hand Hygiene Tips from Prevention Experts Working as an infection preventionist (IP), I have been called a spy, an observer, and big...

• Dylan Humphrey
• , September 8, 2022

How Wearable Tech Can Improve Hand Hygiene Compliance

A lack of real-time feedback and coaching about hand hygiene was one of the major barriers to hand hygiene compliance, according to...

• Haley Dukelow
• , August 25, 2022

‘We cannot simply vaccinate our way back to normal’

In a recent article for Infection Control Today (Aug. 8, 2022), Kevin Kavanaugh, M.D., warns of the triple threat of polio, monkeypox,...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 2, 2022

Top Barriers to Hand Hygiene: Empty Dispensers and Lack of...

Overcoming Barriers to Effective Hand Hygiene Have you ever been frustrated by an empty sanitizer dispenser when you have wanted to wash...

• Janel Ranaan
• , July 12, 2022

Recruit, Train & Retain Infection Preventionists: Frontline Tips

"People don’t realize the toll [the pandemic has] taken on the infectious disease response folks," said infectious disease epidemiologist and infection preventionist...

• Vitalacy Team
• , June 29, 2022

WHO Report: IPC Programs with Hand Hygiene Reduce HAIs by...

The first-ever Global Report on Infection Prevention and Control from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that good hand hygiene and other...

• Judith Fine
• , May 3, 2022

Correct vs. Incorrect Glove Use: Insights for World Hand Hygiene...

Correct vs. Incorrect Glove Use on Hygiene Day For this year's World Hand Hygiene Day on May 5, starting an initiative to...

• Haley Dukelow
• , March 14, 2022

Did COVID Improve America’s Hand Hygiene?

COVID infections are down across the nation, and masks are becoming optional in various settings across the United States. With many Americans...

• Janel Ranaan
• , February 15, 2022

Financial Case for Automated Hygiene: Part 3 – Penalties &...

Burnout Costs and Penalties in Hygiene Cases The first two parts of this series about how to make a financial case for...

• Janel Ranaan
• , February 1, 2022

Hospital COVID Cases Signal the Need for Stronger IPC Culture

Protecting patients and workers inside of a hospital from the spread of infectious pathogens requires testing, personal protective equipment (PPE) and data...

• Vitalacy Team
• , January 10, 2022

Vitalacy’s SmartBadge Built to Meet Leapfrog Hand Hygiene Standards

How SmartBadge Meets Leapfrog Standards In response to customers' demand for accurate and upgradable hand hygiene compliance monitoring devices, Vitalacy, Inc., has...

• Haley Dukelow
• , November 10, 2021

Two Reports Point Way to Post-COVID Safety

Two recent articles show the detrimental impact of COVID-19 on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and patient safety; these reports also provide guidance on...

• Vitalacy Team
• , September 1, 2021

Vitalacy Expands Customer Base with Hand Hygiene Automation

LOS ANGELES, Calif., September 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Vitalacy, a health and hygiene technology company committed to reducing infection risk with SaaS based...

• Janel Ranaan
• , August 16, 2021

Financial Case for Automated Hygiene: Part 2 – Cost of...

Understanding Observation Costs in Hygiene Automation Our previous blog article about making a financial case for automated hand hygiene compliance covered the...

• Janel Ranaan
• , July 26, 2021

Financial Case for Automated Hygiene: Part 1 – HAI Cost...

Automated Hygiene's Role in HAI Cost Reduction How do you make a financial case for investing in an automated hand hygiene compliance...

• Vitalacy Team
• , June 14, 2021

Global WHO Study: IPC Performance Lags in Higher-Income Nations

Countries with lower average per-capital income generally lack the financial resources and facilities necessary for effective infection control and prevention (IPC), as...

• Janel Ranaan
• , May 17, 2021

5 Studies: How Observation Inflates Hand Hygiene Compliance

5 Studies Show How Direct Observation Inflates Hand Hygiene Compliance Rates Due to Hawthorne Effect 5 Studies: How Observation Inflates Hand Hygiene...

• Haley Dukelow
• , April 27, 2021

How Ghost Kitchens Use Hygiene Tech for Safe Hotel Meal...

Facing severe economic pressure due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel and restaurant capacity, businesses and entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector needed to...

• Haley Dukelow
• , March 22, 2021

What to Look for in Automated Hand Hygiene Compliance Solutions

When evaluating the many automated hand hygiene compliance monitoring solutions on the market, it’s easy to get bogged down in technical details....

• Janel Ranaan
• , February 23, 2021

4 COVID-19 Precautions That Will Continue to Prevent Infections

If there’s any silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that hospitals and long-term care facilities now have precautions in place that...

• Janel Ranaan
• , February 8, 2021

COVID-19 Elevates Importance of HAI Prevention in Hospitals

COVID-19 Elevates Importance of HAI Prevention in Hospitals COVID-19 Elevates Importance of HAI Prevention in Hospitals Recent data published by two respected...

• Janel Ranaan
• , January 26, 2021

Vitalacy Fall Alert Solution Beta: Partner Applications Open!

Fall prevention is a vexing problem for virtually all hospitals and long-term care facilities. The high number and cost of patient falls...

• Janel Ranaan
• , October 20, 2020

COVID-19 lives 4-5x longer on human skin than Influenza A

Nine hours. That is the newly published survival rate of SARS-CoV-2 on human skin. Nine hours for the virus to travel on...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 5, 2020

Clear, Useful COVID-19 Info for Health Care Professionals

The SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a challenge around providing clear and useful information for nurses and other health care professionals.  I...

• Haley Dukelow
• , July 22, 2020

VIDEO: COVID-19 and Diagnostic Testing: Nurses on the Front Line

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Zo7zEmK40o?autoplay=0&mute=0&controls=1&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vitalacy.ai&playsinline=1&showinfo=0&rel=0&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&enablejsapi=1&widgetid=1 Request Demo Contact Us

• Vitalacy Team
• , June 30, 2020

Enterprise Safety Technology Helps LA Businesses Reopen Safely

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ Fuel Cycle, Inc., a technology leader in market research and experience management, is the first...

• Haley Dukelow
• , June 2, 2020

Facing COVID-19 in Post-Acute Care: Insights from Frank Romano

A fierce advocate for the senior care industry and its residents and employees, Frank Romano is tackling challenges facing the post-acute care...

• Vitalacy Team
• , May 26, 2020

Better Infection Control in Post-Acute Care After COVID-19

As COVID-19 daily mortality figures peak and begin to decline in many parts of America, more attention is being turned to the...

• Janel Ranaan
• , May 19, 2020

Safety Interventions: Hand Hygiene & Contact Tracing Everywhere

In the aftermath of COVID-19, the threat of contagious infections is being taken very seriously, not only in healthcare environments but in...

• Vitalacy Team
• , May 9, 2020

Herd Immunity: When Are We Getting There?

An epidemic ends once the spread of the infection stops and most of the population has either developed immunity or has been...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 28, 2020

Looking Ahead: Supporting Care Providers Post-COVID-19

While government agencies and healthcare organizations play important roles during states of emergency, the agility of startups provides a means to address...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 21, 2020

Sustaining Fall Prevention with Predictive, Electronic & Visual Aids

Preventing Falls with Predictive Tools Hospitals have been making progress in fall prevention, but the most recent data still show a significant...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 20, 2020

Understanding Critical Factors in COVID-19 Decision Making

We are at a unique moment in history that will decide the future trajectory of our country. Preventative measures have brought our...

• Janel Ranaan
• , April 14, 2020

New Research Proves Benefits of Electronic Hand Hygiene Monitoring

The Benefits of Electronic Hand Hygiene Monitoring Recently published studies continue to provide evidence demonstrating that electronic hand hygiene monitoring can improve...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 31, 2020

How Gentle Hand Hygiene Reminders Prevent Infections and Save Lives

Hand Hygiene Reminders Save Lives It’s well known among infection control experts that hand hygiene is the best defense against the spread...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 17, 2020

5 Characteristics of Reliable Hand Hygiene Monitoring Systems

Technology in the healthcare workplace can evoke passionate responses from managers and staff, both positive and negative. Any individual response generally depends...

• Janel Ranaan
• , March 10, 2020

Back to Basics, Keeping Care Providers Safe in Uncertain Times

Infections caused by the spread of bacteria and viruses continue to cause illness and death around the world, with coronavirus being only...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 3, 2020

Are Care Providers Washing Hands Long Enough to Prevent Infection?

Are Handwashing Habits Preventing Infections? The real-time data providing the answer to whether or not care providers were washing their hands long...

• Janel Ranaan
• , February 25, 2020

3 Ways Electronic Hand Hygiene Monitoring Boosts Antibiotic Stewardship

How Hand Hygiene Tech Improves Antibiotic Stewardship A recent study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology takes a close look at...

• Vitalacy Team
• , February 18, 2020

How Monitoring Nurse Fatigue Promotes Wellbeing Conversations

Health care is fast – and stressful. It’s no wonder why so many nurses suffer from various kinds of fatigue or trauma....

• Vitalacy Team
• , January 28, 2020

Do Hospitals Make or Lose Money By Improving Patient Safety?

Believe it or not, the answer to the question this article’s headline poses has been debated for at least the past 20...

• Vitalacy Team
• , January 14, 2020

How Nurse Wellbeing Boosts Quality, Safety, and Patient Satisfaction

Improving Patient Care Through Nurse Wellbeing Taking care of those who care for patients is becoming a higher priority for many healthcare...

• Vitalacy Team
• , January 7, 2020

Why Effective Hand Hygiene Needs Both Soap, Water, and Sanitizer

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study about drug-resistant germs (CDC, 2019) continuing to pose a threat to patient safety...

• Vitalacy Team
• , November 19, 2019

Gathering Evidence for Magnet Recognition in Your Nursing Program

Building Magnet Recognition in Nursing Programs The Magnet Model is the next generation Magnet Recognition Program from the American Nurses Credentialing Center...

• Janel Ranaan
• , November 12, 2019

How Dispenser Sensors Help Reveal Key Patient Safety Insights

During a recent work group meeting with a hospital client, Vitalacy reviewed a month’s worth of data gathered by dispenser sensor tags...

• Vitalacy Team
• , November 5, 2019

Survey: Healthcare Workers Urge Leaders to Invest in Patient Safety

I noticed a commentary published in Modern Healthcare (2019) by Ann Marie Benedicto, the vice president of the Joint Commission Center for...

• Janel Ranaan
• , October 29, 2019

Movement Mapping in Hospitals: From Blue Yarn to Bluetooth

A group of staffers at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle began what would turn out to be an eye-opening experience with a...

• Vitalacy Team
• , October 22, 2019

Health Care Meets Sports: The Power of Workflow Improvement

Health care and sports have more in common than you might think, especially in regard to performance and workflow improvement. Improving performance...

• Vitalacy Team
• , October 15, 2019

Face Time vs. Screen Time: Has Tech Gone Too Far...

My wife was hospitalized recently and, while spending time with her, I couldn’t help but notice how much time the nurses and...

• Janel Ranaan
• , October 8, 2019

Leapfrog Adds Electronic Monitoring to Hand Hygiene Standards

In an acknowledgement of electronic compliance monitoring becoming an “important component of a comprehensive hand hygiene program,” the Leapfrog Group added electronic...

• Vitalacy Team
• , October 1, 2019

4 a.m.—Do You Know Where Your Nurses Are? Workflow Tech...

Understanding the real-time workflow patterns of your nurses is crucial toward achieving high reliability in health care. Through their movements during the...

• Vitalacy Team
• , September 24, 2019

What Is Your Organization’s Approach to Patient Experience?

The best experience for a patient is to receive effective treatment without harm, and then to go home feeling better. In an...

• Vitalacy Team
• , September 3, 2019

Reducing Burnout by Engaging Staff in Patient Safety Efforts

Witnessing the harm or death of a patient caused by a medical error can be a traumatizing event to a healthcare worker....

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 27, 2019

Preventing Fatal Transfusions: How Frequent Monitoring Saves Lives

Monitoring Transfusions to Save Lives Many people choose the hospital they go to for care according to the hospital’s reputation. A patient...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 21, 2019

How to Improve the Accuracy of Your Hand Hygiene Compliance...

Compliance with hand hygiene protocols has been linked to reduced healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs). For example, an academic medical center reduced the incidence...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 13, 2019

A Perfect Match: Safety Culture and Technology

“First, do no harm” is a simple, often-quoted phrase adopted by healthcare organizations dedicated to patient safety. These organizations would do well...

• Vitalacy Team
• , July 16, 2019

How Patient Safety Can Turn Liability Reserves Into Hospital Margin

Patient Safety's Impact on Hospital Margings A patient at risk for a fall attempted to walk to the bathroom on his own,...

• Vitalacy Team
• , June 18, 2019

What are the Benefits of Purposeful Rounding?

Hospital patients depend on their care team to make sure they get well – it’s that simple. Part of that healing process...

• Vitalacy Team
• , June 11, 2019

Improving Patient Safety: 5 Steps to Organizational Buy-In

Every healthcare executive dealing with patient safety challenges must deal with the realities of organizational culture, the philosophy of stakeholders in the...

• Vitalacy Team
• , May 2, 2019

Prevention and Control of HAIs During Flu Season

Flu season brings a set of challenges each year—challenges further amplified when an outbreak occurs in a healthcare setting. From increased morbidity...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 26, 2019

Big Data for Next-Generation Healthcare

We are living in an age of Big Data. Thousands of terabytes of information have been collected on everything from internet behavior...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 23, 2019

Joint Commission’s New Hand Hygiene Standards: Key Compliance Tips

Key Tips for Joint Commission Hygiene Standards As of January 1, 2018, if a Joint Commission surveyor sees just one clinician fail...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 19, 2019

Understanding C. diff and Its New Hand Hygiene Guidelines

C. diff, the common shorthand for the pathogenic bacterium Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile), is not a bug you want to pass...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 16, 2019

Why is Candida Auris Creating a Healthcare Panic?

Candida auris has been making headlines this week. The drug resistant disease has killed 617 patients in 12 states. Compared to the...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 11, 2019

How the Hawthorne Effect Impacts Hand Hygiene Compliance

  Children are better behaved when their parents are watching them, but social science suggests that this tendency to modify behavior when...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 28, 2019

How Nightmare Bacteria Spread Through U.S. Hospitals

We’ve all been warned about antibiotic resistance and know that healthcare professionals should be careful not to over prescribe antibiotics. Further, hospitals...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 19, 2019

Reducing Bacteria in Hospital Bathrooms: Hand Dryers vs. Towels

Hand dryers have been considered an environmentally-friendly hygienic solution to hand drying, however a recent study conducted by researchers at the University...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 12, 2019

Boost Efficiency and Reduce Risk with Artificial Intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is rising rapidly. In fact, data from the global business consulting firm Accenture indicates...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 5, 2019

Dilemmas in Healthcare: Nurse Shift Fatigue

It’s no surprise that 32 percent of healthcare workers report that they do not get enough sleep. Hospitals provide around-the-clock care, meaning...

• Vitalacy Team
• , February 26, 2019

The Truth About Latex Gloves and Hand Hygiene in Hospitals

The use of latex gloves is a highly effective infection control measure adopted by hospitals worldwide. While gloves work well to minimize...

• Janel Ranaan
• , February 20, 2019

Introducing Vitalacy’s Workflow Monitoring & Purposeful Rounding

Our mission at Vitalacy is to deliver a set of solutions for healthcare providers that significantly improves patient safety while helping to...

• Vitalacy Team
• , February 11, 2019

How Public Policy Impacts the Way Hospitals Make Decisions

Hospital administrators regularly address questions larger than efficiency and productivity when it comes to helping people live healthier lives. At the same...

• Vitalacy Team
• , February 5, 2019

National Safety Goals: Reducing Harm from Clinical Alarm Systems

Picture yourself as a nurse in a busy contemporary hospital. Is the scene you imagine a quiet one? If so, you probably...

• Vitalacy Team
• , January 22, 2019

National Patient Safety Goals: Accurate Patient Identification

“Do-the-2. Verify two patient identifiers — every patient, every time." This pithy advice from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston...

• Vitalacy Team
• , January 15, 2019

National Patient Safety Goals: Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections

How to Reduce HAIs with Safety Goals   Fueled by a recent study indicting medical errors as the third leading cause of...

• Vitalacy Team
• , December 19, 2018

National Safety Goals: Improving Communication Among Caregivers

The Joint Commission’s annual National Patient Safety Goals articulate clear goals around which organizations can organize to increase their patient safety levels...

• Vitalacy Team
• , December 4, 2018

How to Effectively Implement Nurse Rounding in Hospitals

Well-executed purposeful nurse rounding – nurse-led patient checks performed consistently, using a standardized protocol – has been shown to significantly increase patient...

• Vitalacy Team
• , November 21, 2018

6 Qualities of an Effective Patient Safety Program

Before getting into specifics, put the issue of patient safety in perspective: What do you think would happen if 100,000 people died...

• Vitalacy Team
• , November 14, 2018

Improving Patient Safety through Fall Prevention in Hospitals

Recent data indicates that close to 25,000 fatal falls and 3.2 million medically-treated injuries from non-fatal falls occurred in hospitals across the...

• Vitalacy Team
• , October 31, 2018

Why Purposeful Nurse Rounding is Important for Patient Safety

Providing patients with sufficient attention and compassion can be just as crucial to their overall outcomes as the clinical treatment they receive...

• Vitalacy Team
• , October 23, 2018

How IoT is Improving Healthcare

From smart watches to video game consoles, many people are already benefiting from the internet of things (IoT) to make their daily...

• Vitalacy Team
• , October 9, 2018

How to Prevent the Spread of Workplace Germs

  Pathogens. Everywhere. While a few germs can actually be a good thing (bolstering immunity and whatnot), the overwhelming influx can become...

• Vitalacy Team
• , October 3, 2018

The Important Role of Hand Hygiene in Everyday Life

Health care professionals know the vital importance of hand hygiene in preventing the spread of disease in health care settings. In the...

• Vitalacy Team
• , September 18, 2018

Reduce Healthcare-Acquired Infections with Hand Hygiene Technology

Hand Hygiene Tech to Reduce HAIs Healthcare Acquired Infections continue to be a preventable but serious threat in the healthcare industry. Alarming...

• Vitalacy Team
• , September 5, 2018

Super Germs: Are We Making Bacteria More Resistant?

In short, evidence suggests "Yes." Collectively, human actions are making bacteria more resistant to antibiotics, mainly due to inadequate awareness of the...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 29, 2018

The True Cost of Hospital-Borne Infectious Diseases

Typically, when a person goes to the emergency room or is admitted to the hospital, that individual isn't well enough to fight...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 22, 2018

Hospital Hand Hygiene: Why it’s Essential

  Children hear "Wash your hands" thousands of times during their early years as a warning to avoid ingesting "germs" that can...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 13, 2018

Vitalacy Announces Ann Blouin as Newest Board Member

Vitalacy, the leading hand hygiene improvement platform, announces today that Ann Blouin, PhD, RN, MBA, FACHE, has agreed to join its board...

• Vitalacy Team
• , July 12, 2018

How Vitalacy is Foundational to a Culture of Patient Safety

  Magnitude of the Problem According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthcare-associated-infections affect 1 in every 25 patients hospitalized...

• Vitalacy Team
• , June 26, 2018

The Effectiveness of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers

Hand Sanitizer Effectiveness, Hand Wash Tracking Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are used to prevent the spread of germs but may not be as...

• Vitalacy Team
• , May 9, 2018

Nurse vs. Physician Hand Hygiene Compliance

Studies show that overall, nurses are better at complying with hand hygiene requirements in clinical settings than physicians are. Both types of...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 10, 2018

How Wearable Devices Have Changed the Healthcare Industry

Whether prescribed or purchased as part of a fitness fad, wearable devices are changing the healthcare industry by reducing costs, increasing communication...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 29, 2018

Malacidins: Finding New Antibiotics in the Dirt

Sometimes a new more-powerful antibiotic is right under your feet. Dirt may be the answer to a new class of antibiotics scientists...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 22, 2018

Why Are Women Better at Washing Their Hands Than Men?

A single important act — hand washing — can prevent disease both in hospital settings and in the community. Children are taught...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 19, 2018

How Vitalacy Uses AI to Enhance Patient Safety in Healthcare

My sordid past with healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) began years ago when my cousin caught an HAI in a hospital emergency room. He...

• Vitalacy Team
• , February 26, 2018

The Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare

Golden-era science fiction dreams met widespread practical application in 2017 as machine learning increasingly became capable of performance in a production environment....

• Vitalacy Team
• , February 22, 2018

Why Do Healthcare-Associated Infections Persist?

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the most common complication people develop during their time in a hospital. In the developed world, 7 out...

• Vitalacy Team
• , February 20, 2018

How the New Joint Commission Mandate Impacts Hospital Hygiene

For more than a decade, the Joint Commission has stressed good hand hygiene as a condition of accreditation at its 21,000 associated...

• Vitalacy Team
• , February 13, 2018

Superbugs in hospital pipes – Is anyone really safe?

What goes down the drain in hospitals is not pretty - Learn how hospital environments could be "potential reservoirs of bacteria". The...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 17, 2017

How Animals Are Helping Hospitals With Infection Control

It’s no secret that sometimes animals are inadvertently responsible for passing on dangerous—possibly even fatal—illnesses and infections to humans. From tiny ticks...

• Vitalacy Team
• , August 7, 2017

WHO: Superbugs Are ‘The Greatest Threat to Human Health

If the word “superbug” doesn’t send chills down your spine, it should. These antibiotic-resistant bacteria are growing both in number and in...

• Vitalacy Team
• , July 26, 2017

The Safe Care Campaign: Promoting Infection Prevention Awareness

Before hospital-acquired infections struck three of their family members in a 10-month period—and ultimately took the life of their son, Joshua, in...

• Vitalacy Team
• , July 18, 2017

5 Hospital Handwashing Programs Proven to Save Lives

It’s no secret that hand hygiene programs should be a key part of any hospital’s infection prevention efforts. But, often, simply telling...

• Vitalacy Team
• , July 5, 2017

How To Build A Culture Of Accountability Around Hand Hygiene

It goes without saying that hand washing is a crucial part of infection control in hospitals. But even though this is a...

• Vitalacy Team
• , June 23, 2017

Is Magnet Recognition Worth The Effort?

It’s an honor and an accreditation that only 8% of US hospitals can boast: Magnet recognition. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC)...

• Vitalacy Team
• , June 13, 2017

Healthcare Consumers: Raising Expectations for Hand Hygiene

It’s almost impossible to discuss the changing healthcare landscape without acknowledging the shift into consumerism. Today, Americans don’t just shop for clothing,...

• Vitalacy Team
• , June 5, 2017

How Non-Healthcare Sectors Approach Hand Hygiene Standards

You’ve heard the disheartening statistic: The hand hygiene compliance rate at US hospitals hovers around 40%. Not surprisingly, hospital-acquired infections plague some...

• Vitalacy Team
• , May 23, 2017

Hand Sanitizer vs. Soap: Myths and Facts on Effectiveness

To Help Stop Coronavirus, Wash Your Hands Soap, water and hand sanitizer all play important roles in hand hygiene, which has been...

• Vitalacy Team
• , May 4, 2017

How Did Handwashing In Healthcare Become So Important?

Handwashing in healthcare has always been important, and that importance is becoming more recognized due to the urgent need to curtail the...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 24, 2017

“From Swine Flu to Ebola: How Hospitals Manage Health Threats

Public health threats bring public attention to hospital-acquired infections. Here is how several hospitals handled the Ebola and swine flu threats: Infection...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 14, 2017

5 Hospital Handwashing Signs That Caught Attention

Hospital Handwashing: 5 Key Signs Here’s how hospitals across the country are encouraging hand hygiene with handwashing signs: It’s probably not a...

• Vitalacy Team
• , April 9, 2017

Making 2017 Joint Commission Goals a Reality in Your Hospital

The Joint Commission 2017 goals provide guidelines for hospital hand hygiene. Here’s how to make these goals a reality at your hospital: ...

• Vitalacy Team
• , March 30, 2017

Healthcare Lawsuits And Infection Control: An Expensive Collision

Infection Control's Role in Avoiding Lawsuits Read about 6 serious healthcare lawsuits involving infection control failures in U.S. hospitals:   It won’t...